10 Spectacular Games for a Family Game Night

I love having fun with my family! How about you? I tend to get in a mindset that we need all this time or a whole day to have fun together, but recently I’ve been changing that. We have been having a family game night at least one night a week.

Not only has it been fun, but it has only been 30 – 45 minutes each time. I know for us, that is a do-able time frame for a week night. It is really nice to get together at the end of the day and spend a little time reconnecting with each other.

I’m sure that  you love spending time and connecting with your family as well, but I bet you are like me and sometimes you find it a struggle to find the time or make it happen. Let  me give you an idea of what we’ve been doing, maybe it will help spur an idea for you as well.

At least one nights a week, I write on my schedule for that day that we are having some family time. The time right after dinner and before the kids get ready for bed works best for us. It is the time that we can all carve out and there isn’t much else going on.

I personally make a choice that we play board or card games. I think that, while electronic games are fun, we don’t connect as well or talk as much during electronic games as we do with board games. We don’t watch movies during this time because not only is it not enough time, but again, the goal of this time is a little connection and fun. A movie can be a fun time and even a time of connecting with your family, but generally I have found that it is less connection for us than playing a board game.

To get your own family game night going, you first need to find a night or two during the week that you can spend 30-45 minutes with your family. For us, Tuesday nights are the best because we don’t have other things going on.

You will also need a few games. You don’t have to have tons of games but at our house, and probably yours,  some variety is nice.

I’ve got you covered. I’ve got our favorite games to get you started or maybe add to your collection. I’ve also got a few suggestions from other readers via a thread on Facebook last week.

First up are our current favorite games. Keep in mind, my girls are 12 and 7, so these games may not work for the younger set. You can click on any of the links to see the game and description on Amazon. I am an Amazon affiliate. If you choose to purchase anything from Amazon, I am paid a small commission. Thank you very much for supporting this blog.

1. Monopoly Empire Game – this is our current fav. It is not the traditional monopoly game. We have found it to be a fun game that can easily be played in 30 to 45 minutes or less.
2. Apples to Apples – this is a favorite of everyone in the family, except me. I don’t love it, but it can be fun for sure.
3. Sorry – Need I say more. Sorry is a fun game and can occasionally take longer than the time we have allotted.
4. The Game of Life – I remember playing this game as a kid and how neat I thought it was. I’m pretty sure my girls feel the same way. It is a game that usually gets left out and played over a couple of nights.
5. Qwirkle – A relatively new addition to our games. My Mother-in-Law gave us this for Christmas one year. It has been a very fun addition.
6. Jenga – Who doesn’t love Jenga! What is your tallest tower? I think we have made it to 32 before the big (and loud) crash. Not a good game for during a baby’s nap. LOL!
7. Uno – We have at least 3 different versions of Uno. We have been known to have family Uno tournaments and such. Might sound nerdy, but it is lots of fun!
8. Sequence for Kids and Sequence – The kids have just gotten into the ‘adult’ version of Sequence, but either version is lots of fun.
9. LEGO Games City Alarm – This is a quick (most of the time) and fun game involving those cute Lego characters.
10. Rummikub – Another one the kids sort of like and sort of need to get a little older to play. It is one of my all time favorite games.

Now for two bonus games that were submitted by readers on Facebook last week.

Linda suggests Malarky as a great family game.

Cyndie says PicWits  is hilarious and awesome family fun!

I haven’t played either of those games, but I know they will be on our list for the next time we add to our game collection. 🙂

When it is all said and done, hopefully you had some fun, spent time with your family, and built some memories.

Don’t forget to organize those games so the fun doesn’t create chaos for your family. I recently showed you how to organize your games….isn’t that handy! 😉

What are your favorite games to play as a family? Do tell. Please share in the comments below. We can all gain new ideas from each other!

More Family Fun For You!